Preview of Bradley at Drake Men’s Basketball

DES MOINES, Iowa (Interstat) — A Missouri Valley Conference rematch with significant momentum swings on the line is set for Saturday when the Bradley Braves visit the Drake Bulldogs at Knapp Center.

The Braves (14-8, 5-4 MVC) enter having dropped two of their last three, including a 70-85 home loss to Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 24. They will look to rediscover the form that produced a dominant 93-66 victory over these same Bulldogs just over three weeks ago in Peoria.

Drake (12-10, 6-3 MVC), however, arrives on a three-game winning streak, powered by the explosive scoring of guard Jalen Quinn. In his last three outings, Quinn has averaged 29.0 points, including a 34-point performance against Murray State and 26 in Wednesday’s 82-78 win over Evansville.

Bradley will counter with forward Ahmet Jonovic, who posted 15 points in a Jan. 13 overtime win at Evansville and 16 points against Northern Iowa on Jan. 10. In the Jan. 7 rout of Drake, Jonovic contributed 9 points in 22 minutes.

The Bulldogs’ recent surge has tightened the conference standings, making this a pivotal game for positioning. Drake’s offense, averaging 84.3 points during its win streak, will be tested by a Bradley team that held them to a season-low 66 points in the first meeting.

Conversely, Bradley seeks to steady itself after a lopsided road loss at Illinois State and the recent setback to UIC. Guarding Quinn will be a primary focus after he was held to 11 points in the prior matchup.

The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Jan. 31 at Knapp Center. Following this contest, Bradley hosts Valparaiso on Feb. 3, while Drake travels to face Belmont on the same date.